Marine vessel.



H. HENDERSON.

MARINE VESSEL. APPLICATION FILED AUG. 11. 1909.

1 ,000,678. 'Patented Aug. 15, 19.11.

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UNITED STATES.

PATENT QFFICE.

HENRI R. HENDERSON, OF ST. LOUIS, MISSOURI.

MARINE VESSEL.

Lenders.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, HENRI R. HENDERSON, a citizen of the United States of America, residing in the city of St. Louis and State of Missouri, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Marine Vessels, of which the following is a full, clear, and exact description, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, forming part of this specification.

rIliis invention relates to marine vessels and has for its primary object to provide an improved construction, combination and arrangement of parts in that type of marine vessels in which the hull of the vessel is provided with a conduit or conduits extending therethrough for water, the propeller being housed within the hull to maintain the water within which it is immersed in a comparatively unturbulent condition.

A. further object of this invention is to provide improved means for utilizing the movement of the water through said conduit to intensify the action of the propelling power.

Figure I is a top or plan view of the hull of a marine vessel containing my improvement. Fig. II is in part a side elevation and in part a longitudinal section of the vessel shown in Fig. I. y Fig. III is in part a side elevation, and in part a longitudinal section of a modification. Fig. IV is a longitudinal section of another .modification.

In the accompanying drawings, and referring, first, to Figs. I and II: 1 designates the hullof my marine vessel, this hull being provided intermediate of its ends with a bottom opening at 2, above which, and within the hull, is an open pocket 3 in communication with the bottom opening 2, thereby providing for the presence of a body of water within said pocket. l designates conduits extending longitudinally of the 'hull 1, these conduits being arranged at their forward ends in communication with the pocket 3, and being open at the stern of the hull, in order that water entering into the conduits from said pocket may be discharged against the body of water exterior of the hull and at its stern. 5 designates propeller shafts extending longitudinally of the hull through the pocket 3, and into the conduits 4. These propeller shafts are provided with blades 6, (see Fig. II) and the shafts are journaled 1n skeleton -bearing Specification of Letters Patent. Patntgd A110-, 15, 1911.

Application filed August 11, 1909.

Serial No. 512,327.

members 7, which, while they serve to support the propeller shaft, permit the flow of water through the conduits 4 during the operation of the propeller. Each propeller shaft extends through a stufng box mounted upon the pocket 3, and has fixed to it a driving wheel 8 on which a driving chain 9 operates. One of the propeller shafts is provided with a driving wheel l() that receives a driving chain 11, also operable upon a wheel 12 carried by the shaft of the engine A, (see Fig. I).

constantly present within the pocket ,3 and the conduits 4.-, water that flows thereinto from the body of water in which the vessel floats, and the water in said pocket and conduits is only slight-ly subjected to the turbulence in the body of water surrounding the vessel. I/Vhen the propellers are in operation, their blades turn freely in the conduits and in impingement against the water therein which is confined to such a degree as to prevent its spreading away from the blades, and as a consequence, much more eective propelling action is obtained than would be possible if the propellers were located eX- terior of the vessel hull, so that the water around them might be thrown aside, as is the case in the use of screw propellers mounted in the ordinary manner. Furthermore, by housing the propeller blades within the conduits, and extending these conduits to the stern of the vessel hull, I provide for the water being forced rearwardly through the conduits and against the body of water at the stern of the hiill, with the result of aiding the propulsion of the vessel due to the rearward discharge of the water through the conduits.

While I have shown two conduits 4L and two propellers operable therein, it is obvious that any other number of conduits and propellers might be used without departing from my invention.

In Fig. III, I have shown a modification in which 1a designates the hull of the vessel, and 2a, the opening at the bottom of the hull.

tinued across the opening 2a instead of terminating at the rear end of said opening to provide a pocket 3a in which the blades 6a upon the propeller shaft 5a operate. rlhe forward end of the propeller shaft extends through a cap 4 at the forward end of the conduit which is provided with a stuffing The conduit la is in this modification, conpeller Shaft 5b is located Within the conduit and intermediate of its ends, and has propeller blades 6b, the shaft being journaled in bearing members 7b. The propeller shaft has fixed to it a beveled pinion 8b thatis engaged by a bevel Wheel 12b carried by a Suitable shaft extending vertically in the vessel hull, and adapted to be operated by power applied thereto in any convenientmanner.

I claim:

l. In a marine Vessel, t-he combination with a hull provided with a conduit extending longitudinally therethrough and discharging at the stern of the hull7 said hull being provided with an enlarged Water space opening through the bottom of the hull, the inlet opening into-said Water space being greater than the cross sectional area of said conduit, and a propeller co-axially mounted With Said conduit and receiving its supply of Water from said Water space.

2. In a marine vessel, the combination with a hull provided with a conduit extending longitudinally therethrough and discharging at the stern of the hull, Said hull being provided With an enlarged Water space opening through the bottom of the hull, and a propeller Within said conduit and coaxial therewith7 said propeller being entirely to the rear of said enlarged Water space and having a shaft extending through said water space and into the interior of said hull.

HENRI R. HENDERSON.

In the presence of- H. G. COOK, E. B. LINN.

Copies kof this patent 'may be obtained for ive cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents, Washington, D. C. 

